Evaluating the rediscovery process as a treatment programme for a range of substance use disorders

Poor outcomes for many of those in treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) has raised interest in recovery-based approaches, positive psychology and the importance of flourishing, a quality defined as functioning positively in all realms of life. However, there is little research into approaches that focus on flourishing in SUD. This study evaluates The Rediscovery Process (TRP), a brief, recovery focussed approach for SUD. It teaches self-coaching techniques designed to increase flourishing and recovery capital (psychological health, physical health, quality of life, days at work, college, volunteering and housing status) and to reduce impulsivity. A mixed-methods approach was used, comprising of three studies. First, to evaluate the effect of the TRP on substance use, flourishing, impulsivity and recovery capital, a preliminary pilot study using a randomised wait-list controlled structure was conducted. 72 participants who had been formally diagnosed with single and poly-drug use issues, including, alcohol, opiate, cocaine, crack, cannabis and amphetamine were assigned to either immediately receive the intervention or to wait for the treatment, providing a wait-list control arm. Validated measures of substance use, flourishing, impulsivity and recovery capital were assessed pre- and 1 month post intervention. The results of the study showed that, compared to the wait-list control group, the TRP provided a significant decrease in alcohol use (the most commonly used substance in the study) and impulsivity, and an increase in flourishing and recovery capital. Due to the low numbers of those using other substances in the study, no other significant changes in use were identified. Associations between flourishing, impulsivity and alcohol usage were also evaluated and a significant moderate negative association between impulsivity and flourishing was found, an association which has not been previously reported. Second, once the intervention and wait-list groups had both received the intervention, a cohort study (n = 69) evaluated the sustainability of this combined group’s changes. Validated measures of substance use, flourishing, impulsivity and recovery capital were assessed pre-, 1 and 3 months post-intervention. Impulsivity and alcohol use decreased significantly at 1 and 3 months post-intervention, compared to pre-intervention measurements. Flourishing and psychological health increased significantly at 1 and 3 months post-intervention, compared to pre-intervention measurements. No effect on outcomes was seen in the different referral routes for all analysed measures, at all time points, with the exception of impulsivity at 1month and QOL at 3-month. Associations between flourishing, impulsivity and alcohol usage were also evaluated and a highly significant strong association between a decrease in impulsivity and an increase in flourishing was found, however, no other significant associations were found. Third, a thematic analysis evaluation of participants’ experience of the TRP identified two main themes (1) control and (2) flourishing. These themes reflected the value participants found in applying the approach to controlling substance use, emotional regulation, personal growth, empowerment and their sense of self. Many participants noted differences between this approach and those previously tried and the majority found the intervention effective. However, some did not find it of use and there was evidence of issues of a conflict between the concepts of this and other previously used models, which made adopting the new ideas difficult for some. These studies show that, compared to TAU, the TRP approach significantly reduced alcohol use and impulsivity and increased flourishing and elements of recovery capital and this was maintained over the 3 month period. This supports its place as an approach for those with SUD and opens the possibility of its inclusion within the range of positive psychology interventions for SUD. These results help bridge the gap between the more traditional focus of addressing the psycho-pathology in SUD and the newer interest in increasing flourishing. It is hoped that this study will encourage further research and a wider adoption of the flourishing concept and this new approach, in SUD

Fitness Biasing for Evolving an Xpilot Combat Agent

In this paper we present an application of Fitness Biasing, a type of Punctuated Anytime Learning, for learning autonomous agents in the space combat game Xpilot. Fitness Biasing was originally developed as a means of linking the model to the actual robot in evolutionary robotics. We use fitness biasing with a standard genetic algorithm to learn control programs for a video game agent in real-time. Xpilot-AI, an Xpilot add-on designed for testing learning systems, is used to evolve the controller in the background while periodic checks in normal game play are used to compensate for errors produced by running the system at a high frame rate. The resultant learned controllers are comparable to our best hand-coded Xpilot-AI bots, display complex behavior that resemble human strategies, and are capable of adapting to a changing enemy in real-time

Investigating the Effects of Learning Speeds on Xpilot Agent Evolution

In this paper we present a comparison of the effects of varying play speeds on a genetic algorithm in the space combat game Xpilot. Xpilot-AI, an Xpilot add-on designed for testing learning systems, is used to evolve the controller for an Xpilot combat agent at varying frames per second to determine an optimal speed for learning. The controller is a rule-based system modified to work with a genetic algorithm that learns numeric parameters for the agent’s rule base. The goal of this research is to increase the quality and speed of standard learning algorithms in Xpilot as well as determine a suitable speed for employing Punctuated Anytime Learning (PAL) in the Xpilot-AI environment. PAL is the learning component of an overall system of autonomous agent control with real-time learning

A Nexus of Eyes: The Praxis of Chaplaincy in One Faith Based Educational System Through Emerging Emic Perspectives

Internationally chaplaincy as a whole, and school based chaplaincy in particular, is morphing into new forms within emerging national uncertainties, and cultural diversity. Drawing on their work in Ireland, King and Norman (2009) believe that the role of school chaplains everywhere needs to be carefully realigned and rethought. This paper seeks in part to address this situation, unpacking the initial ‘emic-journey’ of a three year multi-case study research agenda that seeks to holistically investigate how key stakeholders in three faith based schools understand the role and practice of school chaplains. In this instance, the stakeholders included administrators, chaplains and students. The multi-case study approach and the stratified sets of respondents were deemed to be the best ‘goodness of fit’ as Parekh’s (2000) axiom clearly states an understanding that one group’s place within an organisation needs to be considered not in isolation, but as intersecting forces that act as a “locus of identity.

A systematic review of the evidence base for the Lightning Process

The Lightning Process (LP), a mind-body training programme, has been applied to a range of health problems and disorders. Studies and surveys report a range of outcomes creating a lack of clarity about the efficacy of the intervention. This systematic review evaluates the methodological quality of existing studies on the LP and collates and reviews its reported efficacy. Five databases, PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, ERIC (to September 2018), and Google and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies. Studies of the LP in clinical populations published in peer-reviewed journals or in grey literature were selected. Reviews, editorial articles and studies/surveys with un-reported methodology were excluded. Searches returned 568 records, 21 were retrieved in full text of which 14 fulfilled the inclusion criteria (ten quantitative studies/surveys and four qualitative studies). The review identified variance in the quality of studies across time; earlier studies demonstrated a lack of control groups, a lack of clarity of aspects of the methodology and potential sampling bias. Although it found a variance in reported patient outcomes, the review also identified an emerging body of evidence supporting the efficacy of the LP for many participants with fatigue, physical function, pain, anxiety and depression. It concludes that there is a need for more randomised controlled trials to evaluate if these positive outcomes can be replicated and generalised to larger populations

Improving Data Infrastructure to Reduce Firearms Violence

In the fall of 2020, Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to maximizing opportunity and minimizing injustice, and NORC at University of Chicago, an objective nonpartisan research institution, released the Blueprint for a US Firearms Infrastructure (Roman, 2020). The Blueprint is the consensus report of an expert panel of distinguished academics, trailblazing practitioners, and government leaders. It describes 17 critical reforms required to modernize how data about firearms violence of all types (intentional, accidental, and self-inflicted) are collected, integrated and disseminated. This project, which is also supported by Arnold Ventures, takes the conceptual priorities described in the Blueprint and proposes specific new steps for implementation.The first step in building a better firearms data infrastructure is to acknowledge where we currently stand. In The State of Firearm Data in 2019 (Roman, 2019), the expert panel found that while there are a substantial number of data sources that collect data on firearms violence, existing datasets and data collections are limited, particularly around intentional injuries. There is some surveillance data, but health data on firearms injuries are kept separately from data on crimes, and there are few straightforward ways to link those data. Data that provide context for a shooting--where the event took place, and what the relationship was between victim and shooter--are not available alongside data on the nature of injuries. Valuable data collections have been discontinued, data are restricted by policy, important data are not collected, data are often difficult to access, and contemporary data are often not released in a timely fashion or not available outside of specialized settings. As a result, researchers face vast gaps in knowledge and are unable to leverage existing data to build the evidence base necessary to adequately answer key policy questions and inform firearms policymaking.In the Blueprint, the expert panel developed a set of recommendations organized around a reconceptualization of how data are collected and who collects data. The broad themes from the Blueprint are as follows:Almost all surveillance data in health and criminal justice is generated locally. It is a high priority to provide information, technical assistance, implementation supports, and funding to state and local governments to improve their collections.Comprehensive monitoring of all federal data collections is needed to ensure that important data elements are being collected, data gaps are being addressed, and quality issues are quickly resolved.Timely dissemination of key data is important, including the development of guidelines to ensure consistency across collections and that resources are made available to speed reporting for collections with historical delays.Improvement is needed in strategic communication about the purpose and use of data to federal agencies, researchers and to the general public.The current report builds on the Blueprint by developing implementation guidance for key recommendations. Where the Blueprint included actionable recommendations, such as naming discontinued surveys that should be resurrected, this report develops specific recommendations for implementation. The report is centered on three topics that were the highest priority for the expert panel but that required additional research before guidance could be disseminated. The research findings from that additional investigation are reported here, and recommendations to facilitate implementation are described. The three topic areas are as follows:The creation of a nonfatal firearms injury databaseIncreasing the quality, availability, and usefulness of firearms data for research and policyPractical steps for building state capacity and infrastructure to use data for evidence-based decision-makin

School principals' mental health and well-being under threat : A OA longitudinal analysis of workplace demands, resources, burnout, and well-being

Schools are critical organisational settings, and school principals face extreme stress levels. However, there are few large-scale, longitudinal studies of demands and resources that drive principals' health and well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework, we evaluated longitudinal reciprocal effects over 3 years relating to job demands, job resources (resilience), job-related outcomes (burnout and job satisfaction), and personal outcomes (happiness and physical health) for a nationally representative sample of 3683 Australian school principals. Prior demands and resources led to small changes in subsequent outcomes, beneficial effects of resources, and adverse effects of demands, particularly for job-related outcomes. Furthermore, we also found reverse-reciprocal effects, prior outcomes (burnout and job satisfaction) influencing subsequent job characteristics. However, in response to substantively and theoretically important research questions, we found no support for Yerkes–Dodson Law (nonlinear effects of demands) or Nietzsche effects and inoculation effects (that which does not kill you, makes you stronger; manageable levels of demands build resilience). Relating our study to new and evolving issues in JD-R research, we offer limitations of our research—and JD-R theory and research more generally—and directions for further research in this essentially unstudied application of JD-R to school principals' mental health and well-being

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS) Technology

Attached is a power point presentation created to assist the Tech Transfer Office and the FOSS project team members in responding to inquiries from the public about the capabilities of the Fiber Optic Sensing System